Every musical has two shows: one that the audience sees and one that the audience doesn’t see. Crew members have been working hard to support the cast of  Disney’s The Little Mermaid, so the show will make a splash in the Hanson Auditorium on Nov. 3, 5, and 6.

Sophomore Amber Cook helps find and organize costumes for cast member, which includes making frequent trips to the costume room, crafting them herself, and sorting shipments of costume pieces.  

“I like costumes because they are a big part of the show,” Cook said. “One costume that was difficult to make was Prince Eric’s jacket. I had to sew buttons on the jacket, and although I’ve sewn before, I’ve never sewn a button, so I had to teach myself.”

Isaiah Heims (11) assists parent volunteers in building set pieces for the musical. One major set piece for this year’s musical is a six-foot-tall boat. The boat took 15 hours over the span of multiple days to build.

“I feel proud of the set pieces because it has taken lots of hard work to get them planned and built,” Heims said.

Student tech director Katie Steffen (12) organizes the crew and manages the stagehands. Steffen became involved in crew by helping set up and tear down for Dinner Show her freshman year. She spends extra hours outside of musical practice writing notes and making sure everything is back in place for the next rehearsal.

“It’s really great to see the show come together and see how much people enjoy watching if after long stressful weeks,” Steffen said.

Colby Samuelson (9), a newbie to the crew, works with sound. Samuelson helps program the soundboard for every scene and makes sure each cast member’s microphone is working.

“I’ve always wanted to use the soundboard because I like technology,” Samuelson said. “The soundboard is very intricate and precise but also easy to use.”

Without the help of these and many other students, The Little Mermaid wouldn’t be setting sail.